As a professional journalist (and having worked as a photojournalist for the Associated Press early in my career) I always keep a packed "go bag" in my studio that will allow me to cover breaking news situations.

My current go bag includes a carbon-fiber tripod, smart phone grip and a broadcast microphone. I also have a charged up power bank, and extra cables kept in a separate small bag).

I keep all of this gear in a waterproof backpack so that when the call comes, I can go live in 90 seconds.

A 4K anamorphic cinema rig featuring an iPhone 6S+ in a Helium Core cage with a Moondog Labs lens.

The rig above is capable of producing commercial quality work and it is a very low cost way to get started making professional films.It features an amazing anamorphic lens that allows you to capture scenes that look like the one shown below.

Note: This rig films pro audio at a native 2.39:1 aspect ratio - using the same technique that Hollywood filmmakers have used for decades.
How is this done? The anamorphic lens optically squeezes in more information from the sides so that it can be recorded by the sensor. Using Filmic Pro app, the image is digitally de-squeezed and looks like this.

I sometimes carry a few more items with me for my documentary filmmaking assignments.

Using a radio mic system is the ultimate hands-free way to record interviews and pieces to camera. In the videos below are three new systems that support mobile journalism and budget filmmaking with mobile cameras like the Osmo, GoPro, and smartphones.

First up is a Sennheiser wireless mic system that works with any camera. The pro-level AVX combo set includes a lav and handheld mic with a tiny receiver. Solid build quality. Built to succeed in the most demanding field conditions.

If all you need to do is connect a mic wirelessly to your iPhone, This low cost Samson wireless mic set can connect to an iPhone via the USB to lightning adapter. I also show their stick mic kit in the video below.

Røde makes a wireless mic set called the RødeLink Filmmaker kit that sounds really impressive. It is priced between the Samson and Sennheiser units.

In the video above I compare the Filmmaker kit with two other Røde mics that also use the mini-plug adapter that the DJI Osmo cam accepts. The Osmo is my stable cam for capturing smooth video tracking shots and also interviews, now that I have found some mics that work with it.

I test a lot of gear for mobile reporting and advise my students and clients on what works and what doesn't.

I wish to thank the makers of Rode Microphones, IK Multimedia, iStabilizer, Shoulderpod, iOgrapher, UniGrip Pro, Sennheiser, Genelec monitors, Neumann microphones, Apogee Electronics, Rollei, Shure, Samson, Rotolight, GoPro, Jorg, and Olloclip for their unwavering support as I test their gear in the field.Full disclosure: My gear links are affiliate links. You won't pay any extra, but the referrals help support me.

Michigan State University students make films at a Smart Film School workshop in Berlin